My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and
they follow me. John 10:27 NIV
voice. Urban Americans have little context for this concept. If Jesus were
walking around suburbia now, telling his truths, he might talk about dogs
rather than sheep. When my son-in-law asks his normally placid dog, Kodo, “Do
you want to go outside?” he prances around Chad’s feet. Chad speaks
a language Kodo understands.
As we pursue God, he will speak to us in language we
understand. He knows us personally, and knows how to communicate in a way we
can hear. For some of us, his voice gets translated into images. Others get
vague senses and feelings. And for some, God communicates in words. And of
course, he reveals his will in the Bible, by which we evaluate our personal guidance.
Especially as an impetus to prayer, he gives me images. When,
several years ago, a malfunction of my spine was pinching my sciatic nerve,
creating pain down to my knee, I saw myself lying on my stomach, with three
people laying hands on my neck, lower back, and knee. My pain dissolved and has
never returned as we obediently prayed, using that image as our guide.
Another time, I reported to a friend a word a pastor had given
for me: “I want to touch that intensity with joy.” She said, “I get “senses”
rather than words, but that’s just what I’ve been feeling from God for you!” She
recognized God’s words when she heard them, but she didn’t hear the words
first-hand.
Whether God speaks to us for someone else or for ourselves,
he is a communicating God who wants to interact person to person.
Jesus, thank you for your speaking voice. May we hear you
today.